It’s a mad, mad Wahld
Actor’s gruelling training regime for new role... starting at 2.30am
EVER since he muscled in on the big-time, Mark Wahlberg has been known for his enviably buff body.
But the actor’s latest role as an elite US intelligence officer in film Mile 22 was so demanding he had to go through a gruelling boot camp to make the grade.
The 47-year-old opened up about his regime – which started at 2.30am every day – after posting images of his intense workouts and their astonishing results.
Trainer Brian Nyugen, who has worked with Mark for 13 years, said he took the 47-day challenge very seriously.
He said: “Mark always trains for what the part calls for. For Mile 22, we wanted him looking like an intense military specialist, (with) Marine-type training.”
After getting up at 2.30am, Roman Catholic Mark said 30 minutes of prayers before having breakfast at 3.15am – then throwing himself into a 95-minute workout. He then had a second breakfast that included three turkey burgers before taking a long shower, followed by another high-protein snack.
Next came a 30-minute respite as he crammed in a round of golf before a cryo-chamber treatment – in which his body was exposed to temperatures of -200C. By that time, it was still only 10.30am and Mark would have another workout from 4pm to 5pm before going to bed at 7.30pm.
He stuck to the tough regime so rigidly he even asked a Manhattan gym to open early last month while he was on a family holiday. And if that is not all extreme enough, Mark has shared the
details of his protein-loaded diet. The star told fans: “I start out with steel oats, blueberries and peanut butter for breakfast. Then I have a protein shake, three turkey burgers, five pieces of sweet potato at about 5.30 in the morning.
“At 8 o’clock, I have about 10 turkey meatballs. At 10.30am, I have a grilled chicken salad with two hard-boiled eggs, olives, avocado, cucumber, tomato, lettuce. Then at 1 o’clock I have a New York steak with green peppers.
“At 3.30pm, I have grilled chicken with bok choi. At 5.30/6 o’clock, I have a beautiful piece of halibut or cod or a seabass with some vegetables, maybe some sautee potatoes and bok choi. And I have a lot of Aquahydrate during the day. That’s it.”
Mark is on the the board of drink firm Aquahydrate with rapper Sean Combs.
Thankfully, Mark still managed family time with kids Ella, 15, Michael, 12, Brendan, nine, and Grace, eight, and wife Rhea Durham, 40. He said: “Most of the time I get to work out and do all my stuff while my family’s asleep – especially on weekends. “By the time I’ve gotten up, worked out, done all my stuff, played golf, the kids are just waking up and my wife’s sleeping in, so it works – that’s one of the big advantages of getting up early.” Mark plays James Silva in Mile 22, who has to escort a double-agent through 22 miles of hostile territory. The film, out next week, also stars MMA icon Ronda Rousey, 31. Mark shot to fame in 1989 in pop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch and his lowslung trousers and buff body soon landed him underwear campaigns with Calvin Klein. He became one of the biggest acting stars of his generation with hits including Boogie Nights, The Departed, The Fighter and two Transformers films.